Ryuu and Ryo Again
by PlotBunniesIncorporated
Summary: [Well, I'm back with a redone version of Ryuu and Ryo. Same comedy, same drama, but with new words! Yay!] Ryoma's a girl who was forced to take her twin's place in Seigaku. What happens to her now that he's back? [femryo] Pillar Pair/Dragon Pair
1. Who the Hell is Ryuu?

**Whoo! Finally finished rewriting the first few chapters of this! As you can see, it'll be its own story on here. So, let's get these formalities out of the way: I do not own Prince of Tennis nor any characters, fucking hell. So, on with the story!**

Chapter 1:

"When is your flight coming in?" There was a quick pause before the person laughed. "Yes I will. I just said I'd tell Oyaji. We don't want you stranded in the airport after all." The small figure paused once more, a fond smile brightening the room. "Six in the morning, I gotcha." The two said goodbye and Ryoma looked at the phone contemplatively.

Her brother was coming home, finally.

Yes, it was true. Ryoma Echizen was a girl. She may dress like a boy, but she was a girl through and through. On the other end was her twin brother, Ryuusuke. He was arriving from the US, a result of failing his exams and having to take remedial classes in the summer.

A result of his incompetence was that _she_ had to take his spot at Seigaku, forcing her to toss out the registration forms for Hyotei. It was a decision that she would never regret for she probably would have killed everyone is she had to spend a whole week at Monkey King's school.

Ryoma sighed and hung the phone up, bracing herself to yell. "OYAJI! RYUU WILL BE HERE AT 6! PICK HIM UP!" She shouted.

"WHATEVER!" Nanjiroh dismissed her. Ryoma growled under her breath, making her way upstairs to her room. She passed by all of the family portraits but stopped in front of the last picture taken of her and her brother. It was at an awards banquet for the Youth Tennis Championship and they had won it for mixed doubles. Ryoma was wearing a knee length black cocktail dress and gold accents and Ryuu was dressed sharply in simple black pants and a black button up with a gold vest and tie.

She ran her fingers along the edge of the frame before continuing her way upstairs.

The next day, Ryoma woke up in a fetal position to the sound of her alarm clock blaring. She groaned and slapped the 'off' button before uncurling herself. Her lower stomach cramped up and she groaned pathetically. This was no way to start off the day at 4.30 in the morning.

She got up and knew something wasn't right. She sat up a bit and pressed her hand down on the bed to lift herself up. One thing was unusual though. It was wet. She brought her hand up to see it covered in blood. Her eyes widened in horror and mouth dropped open, too shocked to make a sound.

She got up and looked at her bed. There was a huge bloodstain where she slept and there was blood all over her thighs and pajama bottoms were just ruined. Her eyes welled up against her will and she ran to Nanako's room.

"Nanako!" Ryoma sobbed as her cousin opened the door at her insistent knocking. Nanako rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"What is it?" She opened her blue eyes and saw Ryoma's bloodied body. "Oh my! It's happened!" She ushered the small girl into the bathroom. "Take a shower while I get Auntie up." Ryoma just nodded, already reaching to remove her soiled pants and underwear. "Give me those," Nanako instructed gently.

Ryoma nodded once more and the door closed. She was shaking just lightly as she turned the hot water on. As she was washing the blood from the inside of her thighs, she got angry suddenly. Why did her first period have to come _now_? Her ovaries had the _balls_ to do this to her and she was pissed.

And then she remembered that she didn't have any extra clothes with her at the moment and got even angrier. The day just started and it already shot to Hell!

There was a small knock on the door before it opened, revealing Rinko. "I have your uniform, baby." She cooed and set them down. "But I do have some bad news."

"What?" Ryoma snapped and Rinko chuckled.

"You had one last clean uniform shirt, honey. You didn't hang it up like I told you to," she said with a slight glare, "And you left it in your bed and now it's soaked in blood."

Ryoma hit her head on the wall, seething for no reason.

"You'll have to wear a plain white shirt and hope no one notices." Rinko paused. "I also have some tampons and pads for you."

Ryoma finished washing and got out to see her mom was still there. Rinko ran a hand down her daughter's cheek.

"Which one do I use?"

"You have a pretty heavy flow right now, so I would suggest both. But if the tampon is too painful, then you'll just wear a pad."

"Painful?" Ryoma looked at the small box.

"Ah, it goes inside of you. If your hymen is still intact then it might be painful."

"Hymen?" Ryoma blinked. "I'll wear a pad," she mumbled and reached for the pack.

"Let me show you how to put it on."

By the time Ryoma went downstairs for breakfast, her cramps had returned. She didn't tell anyone though, deciding that she could bear the pain. She grunted as she half jogged to school. The quicker pace helped with the cramps and she was in higher spirits until she got to practice. How was she going to change?

She went into the bathroom stall and changed her pad quickly and quietly before getting dressed. She decided to finally look at the clock and saw she was nearly twenty minutes late.

"Echizen! Fifty laps for being late!" Tezuka barked. Ryoma growled at him, causing him to blink in surprise, before she was off. The cramps had returned and so the running helped…at first. By the last lap, she was about ready to die and she just _knew_ that she had to change her pad again. Tezuka wouldn't excuse her to go to the bathroom. She eyed their coach.

"Sumire-baa-chan," Ryoma whispered as she went up to her.

Sumire looked down in surprise, knowing that Ryoma was talking to her as a girl for once. "What is it?"

Ryoma motioned for her to come closer. She whispered something in her ear and Sumire's eyes widened dramatically.

"Go!" She hurried her off the courts. Ryoma ran into the locker room once more. She grabbed a pad and ran back to the bathroom and changed quickly. What was with her body?

Practice ended with some light hitting that didn't irritate or upset Ryoma too much, but now it was time for class. Practice, on top of her ailing body, caused her to drop like a fly in class. Even her Evil English teacher saw how exhausted she looked and let her sleep. She managed to wake up just as the lunch bell rang and she slowly made her way up to the roof. The Regulars were eating there today. On the way, she stopped and changed her pad once more, wondering how many times this was going to happen, and then finally got to the roof.

She was sitting next to Momoshiro, supported by the wall. Momo had an open can on Ponta and with the way he was moving his hand as wildly as he was, Ryoma should have known it would have only been a matter time before it happened.

When it finally happened, Ryoma shot up, gasping as the cold grape soda sank through her shirt and into her lilac bra and skin. Luckily, the two purple blended together and nobody knew that she was wearing the bra. She already had detention from one teacher for being out of uniform, she didn't need her others noticing too.

"Sorry Echizen," Momo said sheepishly. It did nothing to soothe her and, in fact, did quite the opposite. Ryoma stood up and stormed away, heading to the bathroom to try and wash it out.

Practice that afternoon was hell. Her cramps slowed her down dramatically during warm up laps and she had to drink Inui juice. Her ire was only fueled by the obnoxious voice of Horio. She snapped at him to shut the hell up and Tezuka made her run five laps.

Ryoma gnashed her teeth together as the cramps hurt so bad that her knees were shaking minutely. She and Horio were on their last lap when he fell in exhaustion, overly dramatic of course. Ryoma couldn't stop in time but she hopped over him to finish.

Next, they were doing drills. The activity was easy enough: shuffle along baseline while hitting forehands. She should have known Horio would fuck it up somehow. She gripped her racquet a bit tighter than usual, prepared to go after Horio hit the middle. She launched forward, effortlessly hitting the first ball. As she made her way to the middle, she realized belatedly that Horio had yet to move.

"Move!" She barked and Horio jumped. She was still moving and Horio mis-stepped, tangling his feet together and crashing to the ground. Ryoma tripped over his outstretched foot and landed on her hands and knees hard. She growled, glaring at him.

"Echizen, Horio, fifty laps for carelessness!"

No. This was not happening. Ryoma glared at Tezuka. Everyone saw it as her hat had fallen off. This was not her day. She was supposed to be happy that brother was coming back but _this_…_this_ was unacceptable. She gripped her racquet once more and let go. As soon as the racquet left her grip, she realized what she done, a horrified gasp leaving her mouth.

Tezuka's eyes widened at the last second. The red racquet hit his face with a sickening crunch. His glasses flew off and he fell to his knees, clutching his nose.

"Buchou!" Many cried out. The regulars crowded around him while Sumire ordered Ryoma to her office. Ryoma sat there for an hour. Sumire slammed the door closed behind her.

"You broke his nose," she said plainly. "He's at home now but we took him to the hospital."

"I'm in deep trouble, aren't I?"

"I talked to the principal. You'll have a one week suspension and you'll be on reserve for a month." Ryoma nodded, expecting as much. Sumire smiled at her in pity. "The first time is always rough. If the cramps were that bad, I could've gotten you some medicine."

"Mada mada dane," she murmured and gathered her things, leaving the school as her suspension was effective immediately. The walk home was the longest it had ever been. She knew her mom would be furious at her.

"Tadaima," she said very quietly, hoping nobody would hear her.

"You're in trouble," a boy sang from behind her. She turned around from where she was removing her shoes and saw pretty much a carbon copy of herself.

"Ryuu!" She jumped up and hugged him tight. Ryuu chuckled lightly and hugged her back.

"I heard you broke your captain's nose," he grinned. Ryoma's grin dropped and looked past him to see a very angry Rinko Echizen.

"Shit," she cursed.

Seigaku, as a school, was still in shock over the previous day's events. It was shocking to see that one of their star tennis players would viciously attack their captain like that. Tezuka returned to school the next day with a wad of gauze on his nose. He looked as imposing as ever, though.

Eiji was one of the students who had gotten over the shock pretty quickly. "Nya," he whined as he clung onto Oishi's back. "I miss Ochibi-chan already," he continued to paw at his partner's shoulders. Oishi was about to respond when a short figure dressed in the boy's uniform walked over the court. They wore a white cap, hiding their face, but everyone could see the emerald tinted raven locks.

Sumire smiled at the figure, noting the change in the way they walked.

"Sumire-baa-chan," the voice drawled. Sharp gold eyes, sharper than their twin, gazed up at her. The figure handed her a slip of paper. "Here is my request form," he drawled. Sumire took it with a grin.

"Ochibi?" Eiji knocked his head to the side.

"Everyone gather!" Sumire smiled. "This is Echizen Ryuusuke, Ryoma's brother. He'll be on the Regulars from now on."

"What about Echizen?" Momo asked.

"Ryoma will still be on the team as well."

"Why does he show up and get on the team without participating in the ranking matches?" Arai snarled.

Ryuu glared up at him. "Who is _he_? And I suggest you shut the hell up before I bash your face in with my racquet. If you thought Ryoma did damage to that iceberg over there, you haven't even _imagined_ what _I_ can do with a racquet." An eerie silence settled over the courts. Sumire cleared her throat.

"Now, now Ryuu. No need for more violence."

Ryuu let out a loud 'fshuuu' and began to walk off the court.

"Where are you going?" Sumire called out.

He only raised a hand; fingers splayed and began to count down. "The bell rings in five, four, three, two," the last finger was his middle finger. "Bye," he waved without looking.

Ryuu was placed in the same class as Ryoma and introduced himself. Many of Ryoma's fangirls began to crowd around him, anxious to learn more about Ryoma-sama's mysterious twin brother and more about the Ryoma at home. However, Ryuu wouldn't give and instead fell asleep.

He skipped practice that day because he simply felt like it and went home. Nobody was home except for Ryoma. They ordered some delivery and made a blanket fort in the living room.

They were seated across from each other, glaring into their takeout boxes of noodles and chicken and broccoli.

"I hate your team," Ryuu said suddenly, after he put his food down. He was idly picking at his black boxers, the only thing he was wearing.

Ryoma dug around for the last piece of broccoli in her dish. She was wearing her black boy shorts and a silver cami, a bored expression on her face.

"I know." She said shortly. "I hate them too."


	2. It's Your Own Fault

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or followed! Now then, onto the story peeps.**

Chapter 2:

When Ryuu woke up the next morning, it was to the thought that Tezuka looked pathetic yesterday. He had to give him points for being able to look so imposing and intimidating with a giant wad of cotton on his face, but it was hilarious all the same. He supposed he could be the better sibling and convince his dearest sister to apologize. He trekked over from his room to her room, knocking on the door lightly.

Ryoma was brushing her hair out, listening to Karupin mewl in pleasure as she played with her toy. She smiled at her cat's reflection in the mirror and giggled when Karupin threw the toy up onto her bed and jumped up to get it. She wasn't going anywhere today but she still wanted to look nice in case someone dropped by, like the mailman. It wouldn't do to misrepresent the whole family.

She sighed as she put the brush down, looking at the group picture of the team after their Fudomine win. She was smushed next to Tezuka when the photo was taken and the stoic captain had a rare, but small, smile on his face. It was barely there. She remembered how her heart was racing that moment. She bit her lip. Ah, she needed to stop this. Tezuka thought she was a boy and the chance of him being gay was small and it would just never work out.

She was broken from her thoughts when someone knocked on her door.

"Usu," she murmured as she put her socks on. Ryuu opened the door but did not enter. She looked at him with an arched brow. "Aren't you coming in?"

"Iie," Ryuu shook his head. "Not with that nekomata in there."

Ryoma smirked but nodded. "What did you want?"

"Betsuni," Ryuu sang. He was leaning against the threshold carelessly, swinging an arm back and forth. "But I do think that you should apologize to Tezuka."

Ryoma glared at her brother. "No. He shouldn't have gotten me angry."

Ryuu, expecting as much, rolled his eyes in exasperation. He pinned her with a glare; it was that glare that parents gave their kids when they were too exasperated to actually say something to them. "Just suck it up and do it. He looks miserable with that puffball hiding his nose." Ryoma stomped up to him, only stopping when she was inches from his face.

"Yadda," she snapped. "I don't want to. He needs to apologize to me."

Ryuu blinked in surprise, "What did he do to you?" His golden eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. If this prick hurt his sister in any way, he was going to die.

Ryoma's larger eyes brightened, "Nothing exactly. He was just really mean to me that day."

Ryuu decided to tease her for this discussion was much too serious for his tastes. "But if you _don't_ apologize, he'll hate you forever."

"No he won't. Buchou won't hate me because if he hates me then I'll quit. If I quit, they'll lose," Ryoma stuck her nose in the air, arms crossed across her chest.

"That's awfully cocky of you."

"What of it?" She challenged.

Ryuu put his hands up in surrender, "All I'm saying is that if you don't say your sorry, you'll be feeling bad because then you would never be able to profess your _love_ to him." Ryuu teased. Ryoma turned bright red and slammed the door on him. "ITAI!" Ryuu cried as the door hit his nose. He checked to make sure there was no blood before he realized what had happened. "Oh my god," he breathed. "You _do_ like him."

Ryoma gritted her teeth together and glared at the door. "Shut up before I bite you!" She hissed.

She turned around so that her back was to the door and slid down it, making a quiet thump as her rump hit the ground. She did feel guilty about breaking Tezuka's nose and she knew that he really didn't deserve it. He wasn't being extra mean to her – he was just being his regular strict self. She blamed her ever-changing body. It was obviously her hormones' fault. If those traitorous things didn't make her a ticking time bomb, none of this would have happened.

And then there was what happened moments ago. She always slammed doors on Ryuu, what made today any different? A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that she slammed the door after telling only the absolute truth: she had a crush on Tezuka. She ran her hands through her hair, not even caring that it was now a mess. She could hear Ryuu taunting her outside.

_Ryoma and Tezuka sitting in a tree,_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

_First comes love_

_Next comes marriage_

_Then comes a baby in a baby carriage_

"Shut up, Ryuu!" Ryoma shouted through the door.

Ryuu left after that. He didn't want to be late to practice. It was his first day of practice that he cared to join.

That day, Ryoma had the entire house to herself but she spent it in her room, thinking about how to apologize to her captain. She decided that the best way would be to write a letter since she couldn't go into school and she didn't know what Tezuka did outside of school.

'Stationary,' Ryoma thought as she absently chewed on her pen. She opened her desk drawer and saw the scented pink stationary her mom had gotten her. She shrugged and thought nothing of it. She had some plain white stationary in here somewhere. She opened another drawer and stopped short. It was gone. 'Shit!'

"No!" Ryoma whined, as she looked all around her room for her white stationary. "Printer!" She shouted and ran out of her room and downstairs to her mom's office. She saw there was a post-it note on the printer.

_If you're looking for your white stationary, Ryoma, I threw it out. You should start acting like a girl now that Ryuu is here. I've locked away the printer paper as well. Use the pink stationary._

_Love,_

_Mom_

She sighed helplessly and went back upstairs. She sat at her desk; shoulders slumped, and ripped off a piece of pink paper. She sniffed it delicately and the smell of tropical fruit invaded her olfactory organs. 'No,' she mourned. She set to work on her letter, writing a few characters out before stopping.

That won't do.

She balled up the paper and tossed it, ripping a new one. She wouldn't write it in Japanese.

The rest of the day passed by without incident. They had a nice family dinner with Ryuu relaying everything that happened at practice, which wasn't much. Ryoma helped her brother with homework, making sure to do what he was assigned so she wouldn't be behind on work. Ryoma retired back to her room with her newly completed homework. Her letter was still on her desk. She was debating on tossing it and writing a new one. The tone was extremely formal and not like her at all.

'Fuck it,' she thought. She tossed it and went to bed.

Ryuu adjusted the collar of his shirt, winking in the mirror. He was hot. He gathered his bag and went downstairs. He was going to ride his new bike to school and make Momoshiro jealous.

"Ryuu!" He stopped, a foot already out of the front door and saw Ryoma rushing towards him. "Give this to Buchou." She handed him her letter. She had just spent the last two minutes writing a short but to the point letter to their captain.

Ryuu's jaw dropped a bit, eyes wide, as he looked at the letter. This was a love letter. He was convinced. He had seen it in dozens of anime. And besides, he was his father's son. He thought about girls _a lot_ and he always imagined the moment that a girl would come up to him with a small scented envelope and express their love to him (it was only a matter of time, he was hot).

His brain short-circuited. 'Ah, she likes Tezuka. She can't like Tezuka. Not my sister,' he thought, quietly crying. His mind began to conjure up images of Ryoma in a frilly dress, hanging off of Tezuka's arm with ribbons in her hair.

"Are you listening to me?" She snapped. Ryuu blinked and focused on his angry sister. "I said: give this to Buchou but _don't_ look at it."

"Okay," the slightly older twin nodded absently. He walked outside and hopped on his bike, letter in his bag, and rode to school as if he was a fancy puppet.

Ryuu arrived at school, locking his bike up and walking to the courts. He entered the changing room and saw Tezuka pulling his polo on. Ryuu took out the envelope and toyed with the corner for a bit.

Now, Ryuu was very protective of his sister. He didn't like the idea of her having a crush on _anyone_, and while he had made light of the situation beforehand, he was actually quite angry. Nobody was worthy of his sister.

Not even Tezuka.

"Tezuka-senpai," Ryuu spat. Some of the other regulars paused at the pure animosity in his voice. Tezuka turned to face him. Ryuu shoved the letter into his chest and Tezuka caught it before it could fall. "Here. It's not from me." He picked up his racquet bag and stormed out and onto the courts.

Tezuka watched the younger male leave before observing the envelope. It was pink and smelled like tropical fruit. He was thinking of whom it could be from. Obviously, Ryuu just arrived to school from home. The lockers are labeled with everyone's name so someone couldn't have accidentally put the letter meant for him in Ryuu's locker. He scratched that theory all together. Ryuu didn't even open the locker. He took it from his bag.

So it came from someone from the Echizen household who could not come to Seigaku. This meant that the deduction left Ryoma as the only suspect. So the letter came from him. Okay, so maybe he ran out of stationary. He did recall that Ryoma said that his cousin lives with them. It could be hers.

Tezuka looked up and saw the Regulars crowded around him. "Run twenty laps for a warm up," he commanded in his authoritative voice. Everyone scurried out in fear of his wrath. Once the small building was cleared, Tezuka looked at the writing. It was in English and the letters were slightly big and bubbly. It reminded him of a girl's handwriting. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter hidden within. The first thing he noticed was that it was in English. He nodded to himself; many people in the school were horrible at English.

_Dear Buchou,_

_Sorry that I broke your nose, but you _did_ deserve it. I don't know what bit your butt but by the time I get back to school, it better be gone. I didn't like your attitude and I thought it was wrong that you made me run all those laps. I heard acupuncture is a good form of relaxation – maybe you're too tense. My Aunt does acupuncture, I can get my mom to set up an appointment or you. Maybe then you'll be nicer._

_No, this is not a love letter. This is just the only paper I have. As Ryuu probably told you, and with his big mouth, everyone else, I am a girl. Ask Ryuu for the full story because I'm too lazy to write it for you. I would like to be back to playing matches again so hopefully you'll be nice for the cute little freshman rookie and let her play. I know you want to, elsewise you would lose._

_So, sorry again for your nose, but I'm not really sorry. I'll be back. I'll defeat everyone. I'll defeat you._

_Mada mada dane,_

_Ryoma E. _

Tezuka could not believe her. She had the gall to blame him for the breaking of _his_ nose! Well, he had lost the gauze and nose his nose was still store but he looked back to normal, but that wasn't the point.

She threw the racquet. He should be uncharacteristically angry with her. He ought to kick her off the team forever. He thought of reason why he should do just that…but everything turned into an argument for why he _should_ keep her on the team.

She was arrogant and too cocky but she had thick the skill to back it up, a skill that caused people to underestimate her and lose their matches.

She plays too hard against the other Regulars when she's emotional…but that's good for training.

The list went on and on actually.

And then there was the fact that 'he' was a 'she' and that Ryoma and Ryuu were not identical twins, but rather fraternal twins! That was a plot twist that he did _not_ see coming. Was that even legal? Did Coach Ryuuzaki know that Ryoma was a girl? Probably, he told himself. She taught their father after all and still maintained contact with him.

His thoughts continued to flash by, zooming in a blur of rushed whispered words that no one else could hear. His thoughts stop suddenly when there was a sharp pain his face. The corners of his mouth pulled upwards, hurting him slightly. It had been so long.

It had been so long since he smiled.


	3. It's Not A Date! We Swear!

**Here's chapter 3...and it goes places...lots of places. Happy and sad and mad places. But places nonetheless. So enjoy. Btw, none of this is beta-ed and I'm sick as a stick so...**

Chapter 3:

Tezuka caught himself and quickly wiped the smile off of his face. He carefully folded the letter up and put it in the smallest pocket of his bag before heading off to practice. His head was still buzzing with this latest revelation. How had she fooled everyone for so long? He couldn't let this distract him though and focused on the members of the tennis team.

The members of the tennis team, Regular and not, noticed that something was distracting their captain despite said captain's effort to not be so preoccupied. He was extremely lenient, at least compared to his other days. He ordered a ten-lap race where the first seven were spared Inui's new juice.

Fuji let Katsuo race ahead of him and he licked his lips as Inui gave him a cup of his juice. He sipped it, smiling at the nice flavor. "Delicious as always, Inui."

Inui just nodded in thanks, writing down his observations. He walked off moments later, leaving Fuji to his thoughts. The Tensai zeroed his eyes in on Tezuka. The slightly younger male was talking to Ryuuzaki-sensei with a stern look on his face. She laughed him off and walked away. Fuji had a hunch that it had something to do with Ryuu's 'not-his-letter'. From the color of the paper, it was a love confession. Fuji knew he _could_ be wrong, but this was Fuji and he was confident that he was right.

He spent the rest of practice with his blue eyes trained on Tezuka. The letter came from someone that lived with Ryuu that obviously knew Tezuka. The only person left was Ryoma. 'So,' Fuji smiled to himself, 'Ryoma has a little crush on Tezuka.'

But Fuji had to pause. That was some seriously girly paper Ryoma had. He chuckled to himself as he humored the thought that perhaps Ryoma was a secretly a girl. He chuckled once more and turned to face Eiji.

Eiji yelped and ran behind Oishi. "Fujiko is scary, nya." He whined and ducked his head. "So scary," he whispered, shaking.

"Fuji! Eiji! Oishi!" Tezuka barked. "Get back to practice!" Tezuka's sudden outburst startled him, he'd admit to that easily enough, and he jumped a bit in surprise before nodding and going back to taking on the Golden Pair.

'I don't even know if Tezuka is gay or not, but it is nice that someone is showing an interest in him. Saa, but he best not let his guard down. I have plans for you, Tezuka Kunimitsu,' the genius chuckled to himself once more.

When lunch came around, Tezuka was wary of Fuji. In fact, he had wary of the brown haired player since that morning. He had been quietly chuckling to himself all day, stealing glances at Tezuka and his bag. Fuji chuckled again and Tezuka had had just about enough.

"Excuse me, I have some notes to review," he excused himself and grabbed his belongings, heading back to his classroom. He was not fleeing. Contrary to popular belief, rulers and leaders never flee. They call it a strategic retreat. That was what Tezuka was doing, strategically retreating.

He sat down at his desk and took out Guests of the Ayatollah, his latest reading adventure. It was a copy his father had picked up in America and he enjoyed reading in English more than he did in Japanese. He continued reading for twenty more minutes before the bell rang. He sighed quietly and put his book away, ready for his World History class.

A mile away from the school, Ryoma sat on the couch, idly flipping through the television channels. There was absolutely nothing to do today. Karupin wouldn't wake up for anything. She had hit a few balls against the wall out back earlier this morning. She even cleaned and made lunch for herself. She shifted into over ten positions in five minutes. She sighed tiredly. She sat up straight from hanging upside and ran her hands through her hair, screaming in frustration.

She began to pick at her soft pajama bottoms. Her period had ended last night and she sighed in relief, no more cramps. She idly traced the fuzzy tennis balls printed on the pants. She was dressed plainly in one of her dad's old white tees that hung off of her lithe body.

Rinko and Nanjiroh were out somewhere that day and Nanako was away at class until that night. She screamed in frustration once more. Who knew suspension was this boring? Ryuu should have warned her about this. The poor girl was going stir-crazy.

She got up and retrieved a Ponta. She stood in the kitchen, wondering what she could do next. She ended up going back into the living room and flipped through the channels. There was an endless sea of corny game shows that made no sense, soap operas, and talk shows. She sighed, wishing she were back in America suddenly. The game shows were really entertaining, the soap operas were filled with who had sex with who and who fathered whose baby, and the talk shows were just real life soap operas with a lot more cursing and fighting. She missed Judge Judy.

'Screw it,' she hissed to herself. She ran upstairs and grabbed her tennis bag. She was going to the courts to pummel some unsuspecting fools. She opened the armoire she had just for her tennis clothes and a scream ripped from her throat before she could stop it. All of her shorts and polos were gone, replaced by tennis skirts and flashy sports tops. Even her socks were exchanged for cute ankle socks. What was this? She saw a post-it from her mom.

_Ryoma,_

_Now that Ryuu is here, you can wear cute clothes!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

_PS, Ryuu's room is locked so you can't steal his clothes._

She hissed and rummaged through the new clothes, hoping against hope that her mother forgot to grab something. She looked at everything hopelessly. Her mother was very thorough. Most of the clothes were white skirts, pink skirts, and brightly colored tops.

"No," she shook her head and reached into the armoire and pulled out the darkest thing she had in there. She swallowed nervously. It was the dress she wore during the mixed doubles match. It was a dark steel gray that stopped above mid-thigh. The front was conservative enough but her back was completely exposed, save for the strap around her neck and a medium width band across her back with the built-in sports bra was.

She groaned. It was either this or no tennis at all. She quickly changed into it and put on some socks and shoes. She combed her hair quickly and jammed her cap on her head. She grabbed her long hoodie and put it on, zipping it up. It completely covered her dress, falling a little below the knee. She grabbed her bag and then tucked Karupin into her bed. She jogged downstairs and grabbed her phone, wallet, and keys. She went out the front door and was almost to the gate when she stopped.

"I should write a note," she murmured to herself and ran back into the house and grabbed a post-it from her mom's office and wrote a quick note, posting it on the fridge.

Tezuka sighed as he walked by the street courts. He was on his way home that afternoon after cutting practice short. Now that he looked back on it, it was a horrible act of judgment on his part. He shouldn't have lost his temper like he did. But it was really Fuji's fault.

Tezuka sighed tiredly. It was his fault. He should have been keeping a closer eye on that close-eyed freak.

_Fuji smiled as he walked past Momoshiro. "Momo, Kaidoh called you a smelly, rotten peach-butt!" He said lightly. Of course, Momo didn't even realize that Fuji was baiting him on. Tezuka was in the locker room, doing his random monthly locker check. It was a precaution to ensure that nobody had any contraband and whatnot. He heard the ruckus outside and saw Momo and Kaidoh in a legitimate fistfight. He ran outside and onto the courts, pulling them apart. Both boys almost hit him because they were swinging their fists blindly._

_He noticed a moment too late that Fuji had run into the locker room and came out with a familiar envelope. The genius opened the letter and his eyes popped open in surprise before he grinned evilly. _

"_Fuji!" Tezuka shouted over Momo and Kaidoh's cursing and the other boys' cheers. _

"_Copies!" Fuji sang and ran towards the school building. Tezuka released the fighting boys to run after Fuji. Momo clipped Tezuka's right arm as he began to run to the gates. Tezuka growled but hunted Fuji down. His temper was already short for he had gotten into a disagreement with his father and then the two of them got into a disagreement with his grandfather that morning. He didn't need a major fight breaking out and then have Fuji steal his things._

_He grabbed Fuji's arm in a vice grip once he got close enough. They had done a few laps around the vicinity. Tezuka jerked Fuji back and landed a solid punch to the Tensai's surprised and shocked face. _

"_ENOUGH!" He had shouted. "MOMOSHIRO, KAIDOH! YOU TWO ARE SUSPENDED FOR THE NEXT THREE MATCHES!"_

_The boys looked on in surprise and in a bit of horror at their captain. Even Ryuuzaki-sensei was shocked into silence. They had never seen Tezuka so riled up. Fuji was on his knees, clutching his face._

"_I'M TIRED OF THIS SHIT." Tezuka shouted once more and everyone jumped. "NEXT PRACTICE, EVERYONE IS RUNNING THE ENTIRE TIME!"_

_Oishi swallowed. "But Tezuka, that'll have us running for four hours straight."_

_Tezuka glared at him. "I. Don't. Care." He grabbed the letter and stormed off._

"_What about today's practice?" Oishi called out. Tezuka didn't stop or slow down as he entered the locker room._

"_**I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!**__"_

_Everyone jumped once more, not used to Tezuka cursing. Eiji looked on the verge of tears and huddled close to Oishi._

Tezuka sighed once more. He would be home three hours early today. He stopped short. Or maybe not…was that Ryoma?

The Ryoma-look-alike stopped when they turned their head. Hazel eyes met wide gold eyes and the person stopped and ran across the street. Yes, it was definitely Ryoma. Tezuka looked at her – it was still odd for him to think that – and nodded in greeting. Ryoma looked up and smirked.

"Ne, Tezuka-buchou, what happened to practice?"

Tezuka found it unbelievable that she could casually strike up a conversation with him after she broke his nose. He said nothing but continued to walk. Ryoma was left behind for a moment before she caught up.

"I asked Buchou a question but he won't answer me," she pouted, a smirk gleaming in her eyes. Tezuka took a deep breath, willing a headache to not come.

"I cancelled practice today," he answered finally. Well, he didn't cancel it exactly. He just stormed off. Ryoma's eyes widened at the news in surprise. This was shocking.

"Why?"

"Because – " Tezuka cut himself off; he did not need to explain himself to her even if she was there. And she wasn't.

"'Because' is not an answer, Buchou," Ryoma supplied. "I don't know about you but that's certainly not an answer in my book."

"I can cancel practice." They continued to walk. They ended up inside of the park, walking towards the tennis courts on the other side.

"You can cancel practice because you are the buchou."

"Yes. Captains have that power."

"Oh," she said shortly and readjusted her bag. "Did Ryuu give you the letter?"

"Ah. It was nice to know what you thought of the incident."

They turned right at a fountain and continued walking. Ryoma smiled up at him.

"It _was_ your fault. But don't worry," she stretched her arms above herself and folded them behind her head. "I forgive you."

"I'm honored," Tezuka deadpanned. Ryoma gasped in shock and looked at him in surprise. Her surprise morphed into annoyance.

"Ora, I'm the only sarcastic one here. Got that?" Tezuka shook his head, scoffing at her quietly and suddenly turned left, away from the courts.

Ryoma followed behind him, an irritating grin on her face.

Tezuka stopped and turned to face the significantly smaller girl. "Why are you stalking me?"

"It's not stalking," she waved him off. "I'm merely following out of curiosity."

"The law calls it stalking," he set off again.

"You're awfully talkative today, buchou."

"As are you."

"Ah I see, you like having the last word."

"No," Tezuka drawled. "I just love hearing myself speak."

"You're full of surprises," Ryoma said as she watched Tezuka sit down on a bench. She sat next to him. They sat in silence for a while longer, about ten minutes. They simply listened to the birds and the sound of children at the playground. Tezuka leaned back and stretched his arms out.

"Why did you not tell anyone?"

Ryoma started a bit, mouth open to answer. She closed it with a snap. "I suppose I didn't want to ultimately. I originally came here, to Seigaku, because my brother can't take school seriously enough. He failed most of his tests and so we left him with our grandparents in the US to finish up his remedial classes. He already had a spot on the team, Ryuuzaki arranged for it, and it had to be filled. When he couldn't come on time, my dad went to the Tennis Board and they agreed to let me join in his place.

I've always been a tomboy, I hate skirts and shit, and Ryuu already had the uniform. I was supposed to go to Hyotei since their girls' team is pretty good but I cancelled my registration there to come here. It was just easier to be known as a that 'freshman that could beat the senpais' instead of that 'girl that could beat the boys'."

Tezuka nodded. "That was surprising to read."

"Eh?" She looked at him, surprised. "Ryuu didn't tell?"

Tezuka merely shook his head. "He's been very quiet about you. All he does is play during practice."

Ryoma smiled lightly. "He has his moments where he's a very good brother. They're rare and far between; but he has them." She got up and turned to face Tezuka. "I do give you permission to tell the team about who I really am, buchou, if you want."

"Iie," she looked at him. "You'll show them on your own terms." Tezuka stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "Please remember though, as a pillar, you must always remain strong, even if it means being weak."

Ryoma nodded. They gathered their things and walked back towards the tennis courts. They didn't want to say anything to disturb this peaceful moment, but an elderly couple beat them to it.

"What a lovely couple," the woman said. She waved at them. "They're so cute together."

"Hm," her husband hummed in agreement. "You don't see young love like that anymore."

"Good luck in your relationship," she called.

Tezuka and Ryoma blushed and looked away, walking a bit faster. That was embarrassing! They didn't dare look at each other in fear of what their faces would be like. Once they got far away enough, they coughed awkwardly.

"I won't if you won't," Ryoma said.

"Agreed," Tezuka nodded. They found the courts and found them to be empty except for a man and woman playing on a far court. They set their things down and Ryoma took off the hoodie. Tezuka didn't change out of his tennis uniform so he just took out his racquet. He saw Ryoma dressed in something gray in his peripherals but thought nothing of it. He went onto the court and finally turned to face her.

'What.' His brain decided to speak for once. Ryoma finished stretching a little and walked onto the court, her skirt lifting slightly with every step she took. Tezuka could definitely see the young woman she was growing into. She had a developing waist and bosom that made Tezuka wonder how she hid it so well.

"Ready, buchou?" She called.

"Ah," Tezuka grunted and served an underhand. They were doing some light hitting to warm up, no tricks or anything, just standard moves. They found themselves enjoying the other's company as they continued to rally back and forth.

A few blocks away, Ryuu was talking to Momo and Eiji. "Ryoma said 'tennis courts', but there are so many parks!" Ryuu said, exasperated. Momo nodded and took out his cellphone.

"We'll find Ochibi, nya," Eiji cheered. Ryuu worried his bottom lip.

"Ah, what's this about Echizen-kun missing?" Oishi asked once everyone arrived ten minutes later.

"Ryoma left this note but I don't know which courts."

The other Regulars read the note. They huddled together.

"Let's try Kakinozoka Tennis Gardens first!" Kawamura suggested with a soft smile. They agreed easily and caught the train. Turns out, the tiny freshman wasn't there. They made their way back to the park they met by.

"These are the last street courts Ryoma-kun would be at," Inui noted. They walked to the entrance on the side of the park that the courts were on.

"Ara!" Kaidoh drew attention to himself. "Tezuka-buchou," he cocked his head to the side as he saw their captain walking to the nearby diner with a small girl wearing a revealing gray tennis dress, white visor, and a black tennis bag. Ryuu's eyes narrowed. He knew that dress from anywhere.

"Let's go."

He left no room for anyone, as he was already halfway across the street. They hid behind a couple of cars and watched the couple. They were seated in a booth and the team had a clear view of them.

"Ry-Ryoma!" Oishi gasped as the girl took off her visor. She was smiling at Tezuka and talking to him.

"Ryoma's a girl?" Momo asked, confused.

"You and Eiji-senpai always hug her and you never noticed her boobs?" Ryuu asked.

"No," Eiji and Momo answered together. Ryuu rolled his eyes.

"Yes, she's my twin sister. Why is she with Tezuka?"

"This is good data!" Inui exclaimed, frantically writing. Everyone nearly fell over when Ryoma said something and Tezuka chuckled openly.

"What is happening?" Oishi cried. "First he gets angry and runs out during practice after cursing us out and then he's on a date with Ryoma!"

"It's not a date!" Ryuu snarled. Everyone quieted. The younger boy was watching the two carefully. This was not happening.

Inside the diner, a waitress came and took their orders. Ryoma pointed to the menu.

"I'll have the double cheeseburger, chicken quesadilla, chicken noodle soup, two club sandwiches, the grilled chicken sandwich, the BBQ burger and a slice of chocolate cake." The waitress wrote the order down with a comical look of disbelief on her face.

"And you, sir?"

"I'll have the Monterey chicken," Tezuka sighed.

The waitress left with one last dubious look at Ryoma. Ryoma waved to her with a sickening smile.

"Stop teasing others," Tezuka frowned.

Ryoma stuck her tongue out at him and laughed. "So, why did you cancel tennis?"

Tezuka shifted a bit to get more comfortable before diving into his tale. By the time he was done, he was blushing in embarrassment and Ryoma was clutching her sides, she was laughing so hard. She fell sideways into the window and curled into a ball.

"Oh my gosh! I would've killed to see that! Does Fuji-senpai have a black eye?"

"I would assume there would be one, yes. I did hit him very hard."

"Oh buchou," Ryoma sighed as she calmed down. "That was gold," she wiped her tears away. They continued to talk for a little bit longer and then their food came.

Tezuka swore, he _swore_, that he blinked _once_ and the two burgers were _gone_. "Do you normally eat this much?"

"Ah," Ryoma nodded. "I have to eat a lot because I play so much. I need the energy."

Tezuka nodded and sipped his water. He eyed the food cautiously before swiping the slice of her quesadilla.

"O-oi! Buchou!" Ryoma cried as he ate her food. He had closed his eyes as he bit into it and opened one to look at her from the corner of it. "That's mine!" She said as she chewed her club sandwich.

"I somehow got tricked into paying for this, I might as well enjoy the food I'm buying."

"Ah, buchou is so mean," Ryoma pouted but continued to each whatever food Tezuka wasn't swiping. She reached over and took some of his mashed potatoes. He looked at her like she was crazy. "Ryoma can be mean too." She opened her mouth and showed him her half-chewed food. He retaliated, though he would never admit to it, by taking most of her fries. Eventually, their early dinner became a shared feast.

"Ah, they're really on a date," Fuji commented. He kept his bruising eye closed but his other one remained open. Ryuu glared at him but said nothing. They watched as Tezuka paid for the whole meal.

Ryoma was at home, lounging on the couch with a hand on her still full belly. That early dinner/late lunch really hit the spot. She couldn't but think about how much she laughed and smiled with Tezuka. Her buchou also seemed rather relaxed, chuckling here and there and offering small smiles. As uptight as he was, Tezuka was actually a funny character with a sarcastic and dry sense of humor.

And what made it even better was that Ryuu had not appeared at all. She would have thought he would have gone looking for her if he came home and saw she wasn't there but apparently not. She smiled to herself; it seemed like Ryuu was finally beginning to trust her to take care of herself.

It's not that she didn't like how protective he was. It was nice. Ryoga was protective of her as well but Ryuu got a bit too protective sometimes. She turned over on the couch as she remembered when Ryuu made her quit tennis when they were seven because the boys kept trying to look up her skirt.

The front door opened and Ryuu stormed in, face red and pinched and eyes blazing. Ryuu sat up and looked at him worriedly. She stood up to her full height when he kicked her tennis bag.

"What is your problem?" She demanded hotly. Ryuu turned on her and pushed her into the couch.

"Why were you with him?"

Ryoma looked scared but Ryuu couldn't bring himself to care.

"With who?"

"With Tezuka! Why were you with Tezuka?"

"We played tennis at the courts! That's it!"

Ryuu growled at her and shook her hard. Ryoma cried out as he gripped her arms tightly.

"Stop lying to me! What else did you do?"

"We ate some food! Why?"

"What did I tell you?" Ryoma looked through her bangs, eyes watery. "What did I tell you, Ryoma?" He shouted angrily.

"Don't go out with boys by myself," she whispered brokenly.

"What did you do?"

"I –," Ryoma cut herself off and glared at him. She pried his hands off of her. "I went out to play with buchou! You didn't seem to care that I went everywhere with my team before!"

"That's because they thought you were a boy! Now they know that you're a girl!"

"So what? They're still my friends!"

"But they're teenaged boys, Ryoma! Don't you see? They just want to use you!"

"No Ryuu! That was once and that was in America! We're here now; things are different," she paused to look at him.

"I know that," he snapped. "But it's you I'm worried about."

"Why? You think I can't handle myself?"

"Yeah!" He shouted. Ryoma stopped, eyes wide and mouth open. She sneered and slapped him once.

"I'm stronger than I was before. I can handle myself just fine, Ryuusuke." She stormed up the stairs and slammed her door closed. Ryuu slumped onto the couch, heavy tears pouring out of his eyes. He really screwed up this time. But why didn't Ryoma see it? He was just looking out for her! He didn't want a repeat of what happened shortly before the family moved to Japan. He didn't want to see his sister being held down by two large teens and have another one try to feel her up. When that happened, Ryoga was there as well and they had their tennis equipment. Next time…he shuddered, next time she might not be that lucky.

Ryoma fell onto her bed, her pillow soaking her large tears up. She tucked her legs under her body, holding them close as shivers racked through her. She knew where Ryuu was coming from. But she didn't want to remember that day at all.


	4. Ryuu's Unintended Confession

**Once again, peeps, another chapter pour vous. Un beta-ed and it shows but...murrmurrmurr. Have fun, y'all!**

Chapter 4:

"Ryoma?" Ryuu called through the door. He waited a few moments. "Ryoma, open the door. I-I am so sorry, Kitty."

Ryoma blinked at the use of her nickname. She slowly made her way to the door and opened it to reveal her brother. His hand shot out and tugged her into his chest. Her arms came to wrap around him. They hugged each other tightly before they pulled away slightly.

"Sorry for your face," Ryoma whispered as she gently touched it. Ryuu closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry for everything Ryoma. I should trust you know. You are stronger, but I just don't want to see something like that ever happen again."

"The boys won't hurt me. I'm their Ochibi-chan. They'll protect me if you can't."

"Usu," Ryuu nodded.

"Now, for your spying," Ryoma stepped back with a smirk and her hands on her hips.

Ryuu groaned and shied away. "What are you planning on doing with me?" Ryoma didn't say anything but she got her video camera and her guitar out. She set the camera up on a tripod and turned it on.

"Sing."

Ryuu sputtered before complaining about how unfair she was being. She ignored him and instead drummed the chords to Teenage Dream. Ryuu stop his protests when he saw that she was ignoring him and instead began to sing…badly.

_You think I'm pretty without any makeup on_

_You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong_

Ryoma had him sing the whole song. "Now, try some crap like that again, I'll play it on the intercom at school." Ryuu swallowed nervously, knowing Ryoma would actually do it.

"You're evil."

Ryoma just shrugged.

"I'm telling random people on the internet!" He pouted and ran away. Ryoma just laughed shrilly after him. He pouted once more as he logged onto the home computer. He had his own laptop, as did Ryoma. However, the laptops caught the same virus and thus, they were getting repaired. He opened up his instant messenger. He was about to log in when he realized that Ryoma was already logged in. He grinned to himself. Ryoma's punishment of recording his horrible singing was a bit extreme; it was time for some petty payback.

Tezuka sat down at his desk after dinner. He removed his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. He took a pill to relieve his headache. His grandfather and father were starting to grate on his nerves. Their argument from that morning had yet to be resolved and they once again dragged Tezuka into the middle of it. Now all three of them were pitted against each other and Tezuka just wanted to do his homework and _sleep_. He pulled out his notebook and removed the packet of reading he had to do. It was an excerpt about the American Revolution and they had to answer ten questions based on the reading. Tezuka flipped to the questions and began to answer them. He had read many books on the Revolution and these questions were very easy to him.

"Kunimitsu," Kunikazu spoke from his doorway. Tezuka turned to look at his grandfather.

"Hai, Oji-sama," Tezuka said respectfully.

"You did not eat much at dinner. Are you okay?" The old man came to sit on his grandson's bed and untucked the corners, knowing how much it irritated the boy. He grinned when Tezuka gripped his pencil tighter.

"Can you please refrain from messing up my bed?"

"No," Kunikazu laughed. "Answer me boy."

"I had a late lunch and I ate a lot thus I was not hungry at dinner."

"You also came home late. You never come home late on Thursdays."

Tezuka turned his head so his grandfather couldn't see him roll his eyes. Today of all days, his grandfather had to be Sherlock. "I was at the tennis courts. After that I went to eat."

"With whom?"

"Echizen Ryoma."

"The little freshmen boy?"

"Girl," Tezuka sighed. "Echizen is a girl."

Kunikazu grinned wolfishly. "My little Mitsu was on a date?"

"Iie," Tezuka nearly stammered. "She was suspended for breaking my nose and was heading towards the street courts. I cut practice short and she saw me walking home. We practiced a bit at the courts but she tricked me into buying her food."

"Smart girl," Kunikazu noted. "How is she on the boys team though?"

"She received special permission from the Board. She was initially taking her twin brother's spot but now we have both of them on the team."

Kunikazu noted. "I'll let you finish your homework first."

"First?" Tezuka looked up as his grandfather stood before him.

"Hai, hai," he waved him off as walked towards the door. "When you're done, I'm going to tease you over your new girlfriend!"

"O-O-Oji-sama!" Tezuka shouted in surprise. He didn't even like Ryoma like that! He sighed as he gave up, knowing that his grandfather would do what he wanted. He finished his homework quickly; deciding to complete his math homework in the morning for it was too easy. He pulled out his laptop and opened it, getting ready to check the news online and print out the essay he completed the other day that was due the next day.

A chat window popped up suddenly. The only people he had on instant messenger were the tennis Regulars and that was if that had questions that needed to ask him after hours. He lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

Ryoma_E_L: Buchou 3!

Tezuka's other brow met its twin in his hairline.

Kunimitsu_T: Ryuusuke-san. Please sign off of your sister's account.

Ryoma_E_L: Yadaaaaaaa!

Kunimitsu_T: Ryuusuke. Please sign off.

Ryoma_E_L: Why should I listen to you?

Tezuka ignored the message and continued to review his essay before printing it. His vein popped though when twenty more messages popped up.

Ryoma_E_L: BUCHOU!

Kunimitsu_T: Cease this now.

Ryoma_E_L: You're lucky Ryo likes you. Otherwise I would've kicked your ass a long ago.

Ryoma_E_L has signed off

Kunimitsu looked at the screen for a few moments before going back to the essay and printing it. He coughed into his hand and slowly closed the computer before sitting on his bed. He hadn't really thought of anything since Ryuu's last message.

Kunikazu slipped through the door and saw his grandson sitting on the bed with a vacant look on his face. He cocked his head to the side and sat down next to him.

"Daijobou?"

"Hmm? Ah," Tezuka nodded after a moment.

"What happened?"

"Echizen…Echizen likes me."

Kunikazu grinned at him and clapped him on the back. "Told you? Finally Kunimitsu, you have a girlfriend."

"I do not like her back though," Tezuka looked at him. Kunikazu frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"She is an exceptional player, yes, but she one of my players. It would be inappropriate to conduct such a relationship even if I wanted to."

"Jesus!" Kunikazu swore. "What is wrong with you? Here, think about it. I've seen this girl play, even though I though she was a boy, and her skills should not deter you from her personality." He paused to let it sink in before gently pushing Tezuka down. "Sleep." He left after that with one last look at his grandson. He wondered into the living room and saw Ayana wrapping up dinner.

"Is Kunimitsu okay, Otou-sama?"

"Hai, hai. He's having girl problems."

Ayana dropped the spoon she was holding and Kuniharu burst into the hall from his office. "Girl problems?" They asked together, eyes wide.

Kunikazu smirked. "Hai," he began, "His protégé, Echizen, is actually a girl. She was holding her twin brother's spot on the team until he arrived and now they are both on the team and she confessed to Kunimitsu."

Ayana smiled happily, "Finally!"

"That's not all!" Kuniharu said, looking at his father warily. "Is it?"

"He met her at the street courts today and played with her then treated her to food. That was why he came late and didn't eat much!" Kunikazu grinned once more. Ayana began jumping up and down.

"I can't wait to meet her!"

Ryuu looked at the screen in horror. He closed the window and turned off the computer. He spun around to see Ryoma looking at him oddly with a Ponta in her hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes!" He squeaked. "Just uh…opened up an email and it was spam…porn," he chuckled. Ryoma snorted and chuckled before going upstairs. Ryuu spun back around and put his head in his hands. Can, for just once, can he _not_ screw up?

Tezuka did not attend practice. He was still rather mad at his tennis club and Ryuuzaki –sensei suggested he not go in order to calm down. It would do to have a normally strict captain furious at his team. Tezuka left the school immediately after class and was on his way back home. He was passing by the park when he saw Ryoma waiting for him at the corner. She was wearing a pair of bright green track shorts and a white sports top with black sneakers, smirking at him.

"Tennis?" She asked when he stopped in front of her. He looked down at her cautiously.

"I do not have my tennis supplies."

"Usu," Ryoma said as if she expected it. She began walking straight. "To Tezuka-buchou's house we go."

Tezuka sighed, realizing that any fight he put up, he would lose. He led the way to his house, opening the gate and letting Ryoma pass through first.

"Nice house," she smirked and went up to the front door. Tezuka took a deep breath and unlocked the door.

"Tadaima," he called. Ayana, Kuniharu and Kunikazu popped out from different rooms to see Tezuka and a smaller person removing their shoes.

"Okaeri Kunimitsu," Ayana whispered. The smaller figure stood and turned around, removing her cap.

"Echizen Ryoma, yoroshiku," she bowed and rose with a cocky smirk on her face. She turned to Tezuka. "I want to play tennis and you're taking up a lot of time."

Tezuka sighed and dropped his head a bit. "Wait here." He ordered before going upstairs. Kunikazu went up to Ryoma.

"Come, have some tea." Ryoma dropped her smirk and stared at him blankly.

"Usu," she followed him into the kitchen. The three adults looked at her curiously, trying to get a feel of who she was. When Tezuka returned holding his tennis bag and in a pair of shorts and a tee, her smirk came back. "Buchou! Your grandfather is cool."

"A-ah," he grunted. "Let's go."

Ryoma downed her tea and rose. "Thank you for your hospitality." She bowed and followed Tezuka out. They put their shoes on and left the house.

"She seemed…cold," Kuniharu commented once they left the house.

"Ah," Ayana agreed. "It's hard to read her."

"Just like your icicle of a son," Kunikazu said from behind his newspaper. Ayana smacked him lightly.

Kuniharu chuckled, "If Kunimitsu gets his act together, they'll be a nice couple."

Ryoma grunted lightly as she _just_ returned Tezuka's drop shot.

"You're getting better."

"Usu," she panted as she returned to the baseline. Tezuka served the ball and thus the rally began. They started out with just a quick rally but Ryoma hit the ball a bit stronger than normal and now they were in a full match. The score was now 4-6, 0-2 with Tezuka leading both sets.

Tezuka smashed the ball and Ryoma failed to return it. "3-0."

"Play fair," Ryoma complained but began to bounce the ball. She started it with a twist serve and then ran to the net.

An hour later, Ryoma sipped her soda around a mouthful of fries. They were at McDonald's and once again, Tezuka paid for her meal. Ryoma told him of how the Regulars had spied on them the other day and Tezuka nodded, suspecting as much if the snickers behind his back by Fuji and Eiji were anything to go by.

The next day was much the same with Tezuka leaving practice early to meet Ryoma and play her. Throughout all of this, Ryoma never gave away, not even once, her attraction to Tezuka. Tezuka found himself at ease around her as the week wore on.

It was Sunday; the next day Ryoma would be going back to school and back to tennis. She took a bus across town and walked to Tezuka's house. Tezuka opened the door, surprised that she would be there.

"Tennis," she pointed her racquet at him. He lifted an eyebrow and moved to let her in.

"We can go after we eat."

"It's ten in the morning," she protested.

"We have a late breakfast on Sunday," Tezuka said as she removed her shoes. She followed him into the dining room and greeted the three adults seated.

"Ohayo Echizen-chan," Ayana greeted as she set up another seat.

"Sorry for imposing. I didn't know you guys got up so late."

"These three are not morning people," Ayana explained laughing lightly. The three Tezuka men had the decency to blush lightly and look away.

"Neither am I," Ryoma agreed. "My brother is though. I wanna kill him every morning."

Kuniharu laughed, "That's Ayana." Ayana served the food and they dug in. Ryoma moaned.

"This is very good!" She looked at how slow Tezuka was eating his food. She swiped some of his food.

"Echizen!" He shouted suddenly.

"Buchou!" She shouted back.

The two glared at each other while Ryoma ate the stolen food. The two glared at each other for the rest of the meal. Ryoma tried to steal more his food but Tezuka only stole hers. They completely ignored the adults in the room, trapped in their own world.

The adults gave each other knowing looks as the two bickered their way out the door.

"I see them together for a long time."

Kuniharu pulled out his wallet. "20,000 yen they get together by the end of the month."

"20,000 yen," Kunikazu pulled out the money, "By the end of the week."

"40,000 yen," Ayana said boldly. "That they destroy everyone at every match once they're a couple."

"Damn," the two men cursed. They handed the money over immediately. They knew without a doubt that she would win the bet.

The two bickered all the way to the courts and when they arrived, they saw Oishi and Eiji.

"Ochibi-chan!" Eiji called. Tezuka and Ryoma stopped, mouths open and turned to face the Golden Pair.

"Yosh, senpais," Ryoma greeted and strolled onto the courts.

"What are you two doing?"

"We're going to play. We just came from buchou's house, ara, he ate my food."

"Because you ate mine," Tezuka fired back as he grabbed his racquet.

Ryoma glared at him. "Buchou," she began. "Let's play. Pillar Pair will challenge the Golden Pair."

"Neh, Ochibi-chan, that's awfully confident of you, nya!" Eiji teased. He froze when Tezuka looked at him.

"Let's play."

Oishi laughed nervously and took his position. Ryoma came to stand at the net. Eiji took his spot at the net as well and made faces at Ryoma. Ryoma glared at him. Oishi served and Tezuka returned it. Oishi hit it rather shallow and Ryoma ran in front of it, aiming it directly at Eiji. The cat-like boy easily returned the ball and Ryoma smashed it while standing inches from the net. The ball hit Eiji in the stomach and he collapsed onto the round. Tezuka came to stand next to her.

"Ah!" She grinned with an evilly innocent look in her eyes. "Eiji-senpai can't play anymore. Pillar Pair wins. You have to buy us lunch!"

"Echizen."

"Nani, buchou? They forfeit."

"Ryoma."

Ryoma put her hand on her hip. "Hai, hai!" The two seemingly faced off in an argument while the Golden Pair stood by and watched in awe.

"You buy lunch," Tezuka commanded. "If you lose with under 3 games. One set match," he nodded and went to the other side. Ryoma tsked and took her spot while Oishi aided Eiji off the court.

Twenty minutes later, Ryoma was on the ground panting. "You were lucky!"

Tezuka took a sip of water. He had won 6-2.

"Eh! Ochibi has gotten better!"

"Buchou! I won't pay! Another set!" Ryoma called as she stood. She fixed her shorts and grabbed her racquet. Tezuka looked at her, eyes bright.

"Usu," Tezuka nodded. He took his spot and Ryoma served.

Oishi gasped as the set progressed. Ryoma was hitting faster and stronger than before and Tezuka was completing more shots that would normally hurt his arm. Thirty minutes later, Ryoma pumped her fist.

"Echizen! 7-6!"

"Again!" Tezuka said suddenly. "We're tied. Another set."

Ryoma groaned but got ready to receive the ball.

"Nya Oishi, they're scary." Oishi could only nod, surprised at the new level the two southpaws reached.

Ryoma smiled as she stepped through the gates of Seigaku. It was good to be back, she had to admit. Ryuu was next to her.

"Neh, Kitty, this way to the courts."

She hit him over the head playfully. "I've been gone for only a week." She led the way to the courts and went into the boys' changing room. Ryuu sputtered.

"You can't go in there!"

"Why not?" She looked at him questioningly over the shoulder.

"You're a girl," he whispered like it was some conspiracy, which it was.

She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes, stepping in and changing quickly. "I always wear an undershirt."

She stepped out to see the Regulars huddled at the entrance.

"Echizen-chan!" Momo grinned and put her in a headlock. She grit her teeth together but took it, knowing he was just being affectionate.

"Hai Momo-senpai." She broke free and looked at everyone. "It's good to be back."

"Hai!" They chorused before Tezuka came over.

"We will be having practice matches today. Oishi and Momoshiro. Eiji and Kaidoh. Kawamura and Fuji. Echizen and Echizen."

The twins looked at each other and grinned. Many wanted to watch the twins duke it out so there was a large crowd.

"Neh, buchou," the two spoke at the same time. "Winner plays you." Tezuka nodded and let them play.

"Ah!" Many screamed excitedly as Ryoma scored a point of her brother. "OOH!" They were in awe as Ryuu smashed the ball. "WAH!" They screamed once they tied.

"Submit Ryuusuke!" Ryoma screamed as she hit a two handed forehand.

"You submit!" Ryuusuke shouted as he smashed the ball once more. Ryoma returned it, approaching the net. Ryuu then returned the ball while also approaching the net. The two began to volley back forth heatedly, growling at each other.

"**Quit it!**"

"**Over my dead body!**"

The two began to yell and scream in English. By then, the others had finished their matches and were watching with growing interest. Ryoma was pushed back to the baseline, as was Ryuu, and the two were exchanging powerful two-handed short, grunting and yelling with each one.

"**Fuck you!**" Ryoma screamed and anchored her feet to the ground. She hit a powerful forehand. Sending it shooting to the other side with a sound that sounded like a gunshot. Everybody was silenced immediately and jumped at the sound. Ryuu was frozen to the spot, eyes wide as he looked at his sister. He slowly turned his head to look at the fence and saw the hole the ball made. Through it he could see the small crater the ball created when it hit the locker room building.

"Game, set, match! Ryoma! 7-6!"

Ryoma pumped her fist, "Yes!" She wiped the sweat off her face. "Buchou!" She pointed her racquet to Tezuka. Tezuka grabbed his racquet and gave her a barely noticeable smile.

Fuji caught the smile and wondered. Tezuka didn't seem the slightest bit surprised by Ryoma's new shot.

Their match began and everyone gripped the fences tightly in their excitement.

"What was that shot?" Momo asked nobody in particular.

"Nya…that was Ochibi-chan's Shotgun," Eiji whispered. Oishi comforted him silently.

"You know it?" Fuji asked, eyes opened as he watched Tezuka and Ryoma.

"Oishi and I ran into them on the courts. Apparently Tezuka was leaving practice to help her develop the shot, nya."

Everybody jumped when they heard the Shotgun again. Tezuka served the ball now. The score was 5-4. Tezuka knew he would win, but Ryoma was getting better and better.

"Game, set, match! Tezuka-buchou! 6-4!" Ryoma sat down on the bench, drinking water.

"Your Shotgun is getter more accurate."

"I can't wait to show it off come the tournament." She looked at him deviously. "'Reserve' my ass," she scoffed and walked off the court.


	5. Ryoma's Confession

**It's kind of short, but the semester is wrapping up and I am busy, busy, busy!**

Chapter 5:

Ryoma woke up the next morning feeling weird. She got up and went to the bathroom, sleepily brushing her teeth. She went back to her room and went to her closet to get her uniform. She stopped short when she saw a sea of green. She went to her armoire and saw instead of her shorts that she had managed to hide from her mom, there was a white skirt next to her jersey. She whimpered.

"Mom!" Rinko appeared at the door. Ryuu appeared at the door.

"What's wrong, Kitty?"

"My uniforms!" She waved to the closet. Rinko appeared behind her children. "Mom, where are they?"

"You can finally act like a girl, Ryo," she clapped her hands once. Ryoma stared hard at her mom. Rinko's auburn hair was pinned to her head in a messy bun with locks falling into her closed eyes. She cocked her head to the side and opened her red eyes.

"You're wearing them." She ordered in her quiet yet life-threatening voice. Ryoma stood up straighter and nodded.

"H-hai," she agreed. "I understand, mama."

"Good honey," she closed her eyes. "We'll be having a Western breakfast today."

"Hai," they sweat dropped. Rinko left them and went back downstairs.

Ryoma took out the uniform and dressed in it slowly. "It's too early for this."

"What are you talking about? It's already five forty."

Ryoma glared at her brother. "Not everyone is a morning person!" Ryuu ran downstairs else he be killed by his angry sister.

"You should stop annoying your sister; she's going to kill you one day."

"I know mama, I know," Ryuu laughed along with Nanako.

Ryoma finally stomped downstairs, hair still a mess. "This skirt is too short," she complained as she tugged. Ryoma didn't like skirts or dresses or anything girly, really. It was bothersome when boys decided to ogle her and whatnot.

They arrived at school and Ryoma knew she had no choice but to change in the girls' locker room. She changed quickly, running out while pulling her jersey over her tee. Ryuu smirked at her as she glided onto the court. The non-Regulars looked shocked at this Ryoma look-alike.

"Everyone gather!" Sumire called everyone to order. "Echizen Ryoma is a girl who has receive permission from the Board to play and compete on our team. Back to practice!"

"Thirty laps for warm ups! If anyone protests, it's fifty!" Tezuka commanded, voice booming though he did not exert himself. No one had a chance to comment as Inui raised a pitcher.

"This is my juice: Super Hyper Remix Epitome of Health Inui Juice. The first three will be spared. The second five will drink one shot," he held up some paper shot glasses. "The next five will drink one whole glass," he held up a glass. "Everyone else will have to drink two glasses."

The Regulars pulled an early lead and maintained the lead throughout the race. The freshmen trio dropped out after five laps. The Regulars maintained the lead once more, further driven to avoid the drink. In the lead were Tezuka, Fuji, and Ryuu. Ryoma growled and handed Taka a racquet. The normally gentle male shot through the crowd and Ryoma ran in through the new openings.

"Mada mada dane," she said happily as she began to run past them. The other boys cried foul and she calmly took the racquet back. She and Ryuu were in a dead heat with Tezuka.

"No!" Ryuu shouted as he pulled ahead of Ryoma. Ryoma skipped and shot ahead.

"Stamina surplus!" She waved back at him. Tezuka continued to run, unaffected by what was going on around him. Ryoma finished tied with Tezuka and Ryuu was a millisecond behind.

"Congratulations," Inui greeted them with clear bottles of water. "You only get water. Everyone else," he turned to face the other boys, glasses glinting. "Gets Inui juice."

The twins high fived each other and drank their water together. Tezuka calmly drank his, conversing with Sumire. Ryoma looked at him out of the corner of her eye, blushing lightly when he caught her staring. She looked away and was met with Ryuu's condescending face.

"Tell him."

"Iie," Ryoma whispered stubbornly. "I'm just the pillar." Ryuu looked at her somewhat sadly. He knew that there was nothing to really worry about. He had taken care of everything thanks to his temper. Tezuka knew how Ryoma felt but the captain was wise in letting Ryoma confess first. She was doing this on her own terms.

Tezuka spent the rest of the day attempting to ignore everyone else. But his stupid teachers continued to make mistakes that forced him to speak. It had been nearly a week since he found out about Ryoma liking him and he was still confused. While he had received many a confession since grade school, none of them came from someone he knew so closely. And he didn't even really _know_ Ryoma until they started hanging out together afterschool. Then there was the fact that Ryuu had told him that Ryoma liked him.

And was there was a chance that he liked her back?

He didn't expect to deal with this crap until his later years in high school or even college. Ryuuzaki-sensei cancelled practice that day, she had a doctor's appointment so Tezuka was going to get some administrative work done for her. Without practice, he really had nothing to focus on after class.

After school, Tezuka alone in his classroom filling out the registration forms for the upcoming tournaments. He cleaned his glasses quickly and set back to work. He noticed a flash of green from the doorway and turned to look at the newcomer.

His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Ryoma. She had a very determined look on her face and she marched right up to him. Even when he was sitting and she was standing, Tezuka still felt taller than her and knew she must have felt the same for her determined look gave way to an anxious one.

"Buchou," she began quietly.

"Echizen."

She looked him in the eye, "I like you, buchou." His eyes widened once more, larger than before. He knew it might have been coming, but expecting to hear the words and actually hearing them are very different experiences.

"You like me?"

"Hai. I have for a while."

Tezuka nodded slowly. "I appreciate your courage but…"

"But you only see me as a pillar," she said dejectedly, eyes downcast. "Hai, I understand." She turned to leave suddenly and began walking when Tezuka grabbed her hand, gently yet firmly.

"Let me finish," he said simply. Ryoma looked at him in surprise over her shoulder but then turned to face him completely. "I do not know what I feel for you exactly, but I cannot deny that something is there. Give me time."

Ryoma's eyes brightened and a small smile graced her lips, "Okay."

"I should have an answer in three days' time. Wait for me at the gates of the tennis courts near my house."

Ryoma nodded.

"Come at noon," Tezuka said and then he released her hand. She nodded once more, flashing him a brilliant smile before leaving. The captain sat back down, exhaling noisily. He put his head in his hands, wondering what he had just done.

Ryoma walked out feeling both happy and disappointed. Ryuu was waiting for her with their things by the entrance.

"That was short."

"It didn't go exactly as planned."

"What do you mean?" Her brother asked, voice edgy, as they walked home.

"He said he would have an answer for me on Sunday. We're meeting at the street courts at noon."

"What else did he say?"

"He said he felt something, but he was unsure," she rolled her eyes. "It's so buchou to analyze everything to the nth degree."

They continued to walk home in silence, comfortable with the sounds of the city around them.

Tezuka returned home extremely quiet. If Ayana weren't sweeping the hall when he entered, no one would have known that he was home.

"Kunimitsu," Ayana said softly as he walked upstairs with his shoes still on. Kunikazu poked his head out of the living room.

"Is he still not back yet?"

"He just returned," the brunette said. "But he went straight up to his room. He didn't even take his shoes off."

Kunikazu frowned. "Let me speak with this boy," he murmured and went upstairs. Tezuka was lying face down on his bed, shoes and all, and his glasses were thrown haphazardly onto his desk.

"Let me guess," the eldest Tezuka began, "Ryoma."

"You would be correct," Tezuka's words were muffled.

"What happened today?" Kunikazu pushed his grandson's body over a bit so he could sit on the bed.

"She confessed today."

Kunikazu blinked. His mouth made a perfect 'o'. "Well, what did you say?"

"I told her I was unsure and that I would tell her Sunday but I don't know if I'll have an answer by then."

Kunikazu stretched and yawned before getting up. "For a smart boy, you're acting pretty stupid. The answer is obvious."

Tezuka watched his grandfather leave, glaring at him slightly. What was that supposed to mean?

Three days passed and Tezuka was waiting at the tennis courts at 11.50. Exactly ten minutes later, Ryoma showed up. She didn't have any of her tennis things with her, and neither did Tezuka. Her expression was nervous and vulnerable as she sat next to him on the bench.

Tezuka looked straight ahead and they stayed in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Tezuka took a deep breath.

"I've thought a lot over these past days."

Ryoma looked at him, expression now guarded.

"I have my reservations, Echizen," Tezuka stated. "I am your captain and you are my teammate and I do not condone team relationships such as the one you are asking." He looked at her. Ryoma looked away. She was stoic, but Tezuka could see her bottom lip quivering. He sighed to himself, preparing to deliver the final part of his short speech. "However, there is something here that I cannot deny. If you still want to…I am willing to enter a relationship with you."

Ryoma couldn't help it as she threw her head back and laughed. A few tears made their way down her cheeks. "You are horrible! Keeping me in suspense!" She calmed down enough to stop laughing but the tears continued to fall. "You scared me," she said quietly.

Tezuka was unsure of what to do but he had an inkling and he listened to it. He slowly drew her into his arms and held her close. She smiled into his shoulder and they stayed like that for a few minutes.

"What do we do now?" Ryoma looked up at Tezuka.

"Lunch?" He asked as he stood up, offering her a hand. She took it and they walked a few blocks away to a nice restaurant that served Italian food.

Ryoma didn't order too much, surprisingly. Her stomach was still in knots for no reason. She finished her salad easily enough and polished off the calamari, but her chicken and broccoli penne had to be wrapped up to go, along with her chocolate cake. She and Tezuka established first name use shortly after sitting down and agreed that they would not tell anyone besides Ryuu that were now dating. They would let everybody figure it out on their own.


	6. Aside: Sakuno

**Oh wow...um, holy fucking shit. I didn't realize I hadn't updated in so long. My best friend/sister just moved back to the city and her (our) younger sister is here for the month and I haven't seen them for 6 years. So...here we are...and whatnot. Thanks for being so patient with me and my airheadedness...**

Chapter 6:

I was very shocked when Ryoma-kun was suspended for breaking Tezuka-senpai's nose. Ryoma-kun wasn't like that. The next day I came to school, I was surprised to find out that Ryoma-kun had a twin brother, Ryuusuke-kun. He acted much like his brother: he slept a lot. There were some things that he didn't know and he asked Tomoka-chan and me where certain rooms were. Tomoka-chan was pretty flustered by him and she changed the fan club from Ryoma-kun to the Echizen twins.

Actually, a lot of the girls were fawning over him. They tried to find out what Ryoma-kun was like outside of school and learn more about Ryuusuke-kun too. I stayed quiet the whole time, shy and nervous. Ryuusuke-kun was a bit more accessible than Ryoma-kun and I felt very guilty. I've always had a crush on Ryoma-kun but with the nicer Ryuusuke-kun, I found myself liking him just a little more each day. Maybe it was because he was new. I don't know. But I felt very guilty. Even though Ryoma-kun and I weren't dating, I still felt like this was some form of cheating.

Ryoma-kun came back to school next Monday and I wanted to say it was great to have him back but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. I just blushed and let everyone else fawn over the twins. The next day, Ryoma-kun gave me a heart attack.

How had I never noticed before?

Ryoma-kun was a girl! Ryoma-k-chan, that would take a while to get used to, strolled into class, skirt fluttering with every step. I had watched their practice that morning and it was both awesome and very scary that Ryoma-k-chan, sorry there, had gotten more powerful so fast. Ryuusuke-kun was also a very powerful player and he lost by only one point.

Ryoma-k-chan made a very pretty girl. Her uniform skirt was shorter than everyone else's and she told the teacher it was because her mother accidentally ordered the wrong size and they didn't have her size anymore. She wore her hair the same and didn't wear any makeup or anything but she was still beautiful. How did she do that? A lot of the boys began to look at her too as she slept in class.

A part of me was slightly angry with her. How does she go from 'boy' to girl so flawlessly? She just strolled in here, bare legs a blazing, and everyone eats right out of her palm! It seemed that no matter what, she was always the star. She never had a problem with her body image, something I've always had trouble with.

In grade school, I tried to be cool. Yeah, I would hike my skirt up and wear some light makeup. Everyone made fun of me though and they whispered behind my back. Last year, I changed to this look. Cute and innocent, knowing that boys liked this look too. Everyone still made fun of me. I was hoping that here, at Seigaku, I wouldn't be teased for my look and luckily I wasn't…to much.

"Ryoma-sama!" I winced as Tomoka screamed right in my ear. "Ryoma-sama! Why didn't you tell anyone that you were a girl?" She wailed.

The twins looked at her blankly before smirking and walking to their seats. "Mada mada dane/daze," they spoke in synch and sat down, falling asleep almost immediately. At around lunch, the two left to go to the tennis courts. The Regulars would be eating lunch there today.

"You two aren't coming?" Ryuusuke-kun asked, staring at us curiously.

"Can we?" Tomoka-chan gasped. I stayed silent, preferring to let her do the talking.

"I don't see why not. You're like our groupies," he turned around and left.

"Sakuno-chan! Let's go!" Tomoka-chan grabbed our things and we ran after Ryuusuke-kun. Ryoma-chan was already sitting with the Regulars when we arrived. She didn't look up as she was enjoying baiting Kaidoh and Momoshiro-senpais. Oishi-fukubuchou managed to break them up and Kikumaru-senpai pouted as the entertainment was over.

Ryoma-chan got up on her knees and dove across to Tezuka-buchou's lunch and stole some of his shrimp. "Arigato buchou!" She grinned and ate it. I was shocked that she would do such a thing. Everyone, I felt, was anticipating Tezuka-buchou to order her to do laps but instead he just sighed and stole some of her food in return. Ryoma-chan pouted. "No fair."

At tennis practice the next day (Obaa-chan cancelled it previously), there was a large crowd of boys even though they were only doing practice drills. They were there to look at Ryoma-chan. Ryuusuke-kun looked very angry and shouted at them to leave. More than half scampered but a few were brave enough to stick it out. They ran away once Ryuusuke-kun hit a boy in the face on purpose.

Tezuka-buchou didn't punish him either; instead he thanked him for getting rid of any unnecessary distractions.

Ryoma-chan was very pretty that day in her light purple top and silver track shorts. I wondered if I could someday look like that, muscular but still extremely feminine.

The weeks passed by much the same. The Regulars became even more popular since Ryoma-chan revealed that she was a girl. When the next week came, I noticed that something was different with Ryoma-chan.

It was Thursday and I was staying late today with Obaa-chan as she and Tezuka-buchou had some things to do for the upcoming tournament again. I heard light footsteps coming up the hall and I peeked by head out. Ryoma-chan was walking towards me and I ducked back in. She went into the room next door, where Tezuka-buchou was.

I snuck out and looked into the classroom. Ryoma-chan had her hands on Tezuka-buchou's shoulders and was whispering in his ear. He broke out into a deep chuckle and I was amazed. He turned slightly and wrapped and arm around her waist, dragging her towards him. She smirked and sat in his lap and lifted her head to kiss him softly.

I turned around and ran into the room I was in before. What? They were…they were dating!? Had Tezuka-buchou known all along that Ryoma-chan was a girl? I heard another pair of footsteps and I saw Ryuusuke-kun. He stopped in front of the doorway to the room that Ryoma-chan and Tezuka-buchou were in.

"As much I _love_ seeing you two together," he said somewhat sarcastically with a kind smile on his face, "We need to get going. Our grandparents are visiting tonight."

"Fine," Ryoma-chan drawled. "Let's go." I saw all three leave the room with their things. Tezuka-buchou entered the room I was in.

"Ryuuzaki-san, please inform Ryuuzaki-sensei that we are leaving now." He left right after I nodded in confirmation. Obaa-chan returned shortly after they left.

"Where are they?" She asked, confused.

"They left. They had a family dinner."

"Ah," Obaa-chan said with a smile, "Tezuka-san will be formally introduced to the Echizen family tonight."

"You knew they were dating?"

"Ah, I did. I knew since Ryoma came that she and Tezuka would be a good couple. They've been dating for nearly a month."

Okay…that was _not_ what I was expecting. "Do others know?"

"Yeah," Obaa-chan looked at me as if I was slow. "The whole tennis club knows. The Regulars figured it out first."

The next day, Ryuusuke-kun was waiting by the gates after practice.

"Ah, hello Ryuusuke-kun," I greeted him nervously. He was much more dangerous looking than his sister.

"Ryuuzaki-san," he grunted.

"Are you waiting for Ryoma-chan?"

"Yeah, she had to change her pad," he grunted once more. "I don't get you girls."

We were silent for a little while.

"Why do you act like this? Like some little innocent fool," he explained before I could ask him what he meant. "Cut your hair and change your 'tude and then come back to me. Ryo tried telling you before to cut it off. I don't like _this_," he looked me over, "type of chick." Ryoma-chan came out and walked right past me. Ryuusuke-kun began to walk with her. Ryoma-chan turned to smirk at me over the shoulder but turned back around after Ryuusuke-kun nudged her.


	7. Apples and Oranges

**Sorry it's taken so long. This summer has been redonc crazy for me and my family...mostly because of said family but whatevs. I'm working on chapters 8 and 9 right now, so thanks for hanging on til then.**

Chapter 7:

Sakuno came to school the next Monday with her hair was about mid-back length. It was held back with a simple headband and she smiled at Ryoma when she nodded at her, smirk firmly in place. They were at tennis practice and Ryoma was wearing a lime green shirt and black shorts. Tezuka was standing near her, conversing with Inui and Sumire.

Ryoma sighed irritably as she tied her hair into a small ponytail. It was growing longer now that her mother refused to let her get it cut. Sakuno changed into her tennis outfit and went to the girls' court to practice as well.

In class, Ryoma stepped up to Sakuno, smiling widely. "Ah, Sakuno," she greeted as she sat down on the desk. "Ryuusuke wants to say that he has a crush on you."

"Ryoma!" Ryuu growled as he stomped. "I never said that."

"But you want to say it."

"…" Ryuu remained silent but was blushing. Sakuno blushed as well and looked away.

"I-I like Ryuusuke-kun as well," she said shyly.

Ryuu beamed at her and Ryoma smirked. "You're welcome," she called over her shoulder.

Sakuno was lounging around in a pair of skinny jeans and a cute pink top. She had nothing to do on this Saturday night. She and Ryuu had gone out on their first date on Friday after tennis practice. She was still riding off the high and she turned the TV off, preparing to go do some reading. The doorbell rang suddenly and she answered it.

"Ryuu," she cocked her head to the side in confusion. Ryuu was looking at his black sneakers. She blushed slightly at the outfit he was wearing: a tight black tee under an unbuttoned green shirt and tight dark blue jeans.

"My dad kicked us out," he said shortly. "He found out that we were dating and demanded that we go on another one with Ryoma and Kunimitsu."

"Obaa-chan isn't here."

"Send her a text. Let's go."

Sakuno followed him outside their gate and saw a sleek black car. An adult that could only be Tezuka's father was driving. Tezuka was in the passenger's seat and Ryoma was looking pissed in the backseat.

"Hello. I'm Sakuno Ryuuzaki," she bowed and introduced herself. Kuniharu laughed lightly.

"As you can tell, I'm Kunimitsu's father, Kuniharu. It's nice to meet you. Please, get in," he motioned to the car. The two got in and he set off driving back to the Tezuka household. He and Tezuka got out the car and Sakuno looked at the Echizen twins she was situated between. They weren't moving.

She looked with wide eyes as Tezuka and his father stood by the driver's door. Kuniharu handed him his entire wallet, quickly taking out his driver's license before returning it, showing Tezuka were it was. Tezuka nodded and sat in the driver's seat, buckling his seatbelt. Ryoma hopped into the passenger's seat and buckled up as well.

"You can drive, Tezuka-buchou!" Sakuno exclaimed.

"I can," he nodded. "I don't do it often in the city but I drive a lot in the country. My father gives me his license because we look alike." He put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. "Where are we going?"

"Ah, I think we can just drive around for just a bit and then decide," Ryoma decided. They pulled onto the highway, Tezuka smoothly cruising in between the cars.

"So, what do you usually drive for?"

"Errands," all three answered Sakuno at the same time. She jumped slightly but sat back in silence. They continued driving until they came upon a traffic jam. Ahead of them were two lines. One line had all black cars and the other had everyone else. The black cars were led to a line of police cars.

"What's this?" Ryoma asked as she sat up straighter to look further ahead. They noted that the people in the black cars had to vacate the car and answer a few questions. They were released afterwards with a couple being asked to pull over onto the shoulder.

"This doesn't look good," Ryuu agreed. Sakuno looked nervously at Tezuka's reflection in the mirror. The older boy was relaxed in his seat; one hand calmly resting the wheel while the other was holding Ryoma's hand on the center console. His expression gave nothing away as he stared ahead.

They pulled into the lane with the black cars as the police officer instructed them to.

"Ne, Kunimitsu, did you break the law or something?" Ryoma teased. Tezuka looked at her blankly.

"In essence, I'm breaking it right now." He released her hand once the got to line of cops. He rolled down the window.

"Sir, can you and your passengers please exit the car? We're conducting a search for a stolen car that's suspected to have contraband in it."

Tezuka put the car in park and the four kids got out.

"I need to see your license, registration, and proof of insurance." Tezuka handed the registration and insurance over and took out his father's license. Ryoma and Ryuu watched as another cop searched the car. Tezuka popped the hood to let him continue.

The officers looked at the license and then back to Tezuka, eyes suspicious. Tezuka looked him dead in the eye, as if challenging him. The officer gave the license back when he received the all clear from the other officer, "Thank you for cooperating. You can enjoy the rest of your night." Tezuka nodded and stepped back into the car. The other three followed quickly and scrambled to put their seatbelts on.

Tezuka pulled out and sped along the shoulder.

"We just got away from the cops and you're speeding on the shoulder!" Ryoma shouted at her boyfriend.

Tezuka just gave her a blank look and continued to speed. The traffic was still slow because of rubberneckers and it was practically a parking lot. Tezuka sped along the shoulder until the next exit. He jumped onto the exit and slowed down a bit so he could ride the bank without losing control. He reached the intersection and made an illegal U-turn to hop onto the highway entrance. They zoomed down it and got on the highway where there was no traffic.

"Smart," Ryuu smirked from the back. Tezuka allowed himself a small self-satisfactory smile. They continued to cruise down the large road until Ryoma and Ryuu's stomachs made themselves known. They got off two exits later and went to a nice restaurant where Tezuka kindly paid for everyone (read: he used his father's card).

After that, they went to a festival they found out was nearby. They stayed out until one in the morning before they began the two-hour long trip back home. Sakuno was passed out, leaning heavily against a drowsy Ryuu. Ryoma was snoring lightly and drooling against the window, her breath fogging it up. Tezuka, who had stopped at a gas station to get a coffee, was awake and listening to the soft music playing through the speakers.

"You know," Ryuu said slowly and quietly. "For my sister's boyfriend, you're pretty damn awesome."

Tezuka looked at him through the mirror and nodded. "For her annoying brother, you're okay as well." Ryuu made a sound of outrage.

"Can't be nice to you for shit," he mumbled before falling asleep. Two hours later, Tezuka pulled up at the Ryuuzaki residence. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Ryuuzaki-sensei.

"Sumire…speaking," she was interrupted by a yawn.

"Hai, this is Tezuka."

"Oh! Have you returned?"

"I'm outside with a car of sleeping kids."

Ryuuzaki-sensei laughed at that. "I'm coming now." She put on a robe and came outside to see Tezuka with a sleeping Sakuno in his arms. Ryuuzaki-sensei led the way up to her room and Tezuka set her in her bed. He bade them a goodnight and went to the Echizen household.

"Kunimitsu?" Rinko answered the phone. "There's no need to return here. You can take them to your house."

"Are you sure, Echizen-san?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Rinko said but was then interrupted by Nanjiroh.

"I want to get back to having sex!"

"Hush dear!" Rinko chided. "Sorry Kunimitsu-kun, but we're very busy right now." She hung up after that. Tezuka shuddered and slowly put his phone down before arriving home. He drove into their garage and considered how he was going to get them both into the house.

Kuniharu opened the door connecting the house to the garage. "You're back," he yawned.

"With guests," Tezuka waved to the twins.

"I'll get the boy," his father offered and picked up Ryuu. "What's his name again?"

"Ryuusuke," Tezuka murmured absently as he carried Ryoma.

"We can put them in the guest rooms," Kuniharu led the way to two of the three guest rooms they had. He tucked Ryuu into one bed and then checked in on Tezuka putting Ryoma to bed. He smiled softly when he saw his son gently stroke his girlfriend's cheek before getting up.

Monday found the twins strolling onto the courts with the Regulars coming to greet them.

"Nya how was your weekend?"

"It was fine, Eiji-senpai," Ryuu answered for them. He walked up to their buchou. "Where's the car?"

Tezuka remained silent but gave him a pointed look.

Ryuu laughed and walked away after that. Fuji slithered over to Tezuka.

"A car?" He asked with a sly grin.

"Fuji," Tezuka said curtly, "Please remember that it was your meddling attitude that got you a black eye in the first place."

Fuji frowned but slithered away, keeping an eye on Tezuka.


	8. Late Night Visit

**So here's the new chapter and whatnot. Thank you guys for following this story (again).**

Chapter 8:

Tezuka returned home at about eight that night. He was tired and he just wanted to sleep but unfortunately his stomach had other plans. He wandered into the kitchen and saw a note for him on the fridge. His grandfather was out with his old geezer friends and his parents went out on a week long vacation suddenly. He rolled his eyes, knowing that his father just wanted to have his mother in bed with him for a week without worrying over anything. He opened the fridge and saw his mother had fixed him enough food to last the whole week. She even sorted it by the mealtime.

He picked out the one that said 'today's dinner' and heated it up. He opened the fridge once more to get some juice and saw that there was none. He opened the pantry looking for juice. Nothing was here. He went into the cabinets and cupboards and found nothing. Finally, he returned to the fridge and swung it open. The note fell off and revealed there was more writing.

_I know you're looking for the juice. Your father bought you some and is keeping it in the garage fridge._

_Silly boy_

_Love Mom_

Tezuka (though he would never admit this) pouted and went into the garage and pulled out a case of juice. He brought it into the kitchen and stored it away in the fridge. He took a bottle and grabbed his now hot food and trekked into the living room, turning the TV on in the process.

It was a nice night without having to deal with his parents or grandfather for once. He finished up and went to his backpack, deciding to complete his homework. He worked quickly with the silent atmosphere, only getting distracted once when a show he liked started. He finished and continued to watch the show peacefully. He looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly eleven. He decided he could make it to midnight before going upstairs.

He ended up falling asleep on the couch.

Ryoma got out of bed, eyes half opened, and stumbled her way into the kitchen with her cell phone in hand. She grabbed a can of Ponta and made her way towards the front door, feet clad in her house slippers (which were Happy Bunny). She trekked half an hour before finding herself in a cluster of bushes. She blinked and realized that she was _not_ in her bed. She was near a window and she climbed through the bushes and saw Tezuka sleeping on the couch. She looked around and whimpered.

She felt her phone in her pocket and picked it up, calling her boyfriend. She saw Tezuka move as soon as the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" He said, voice deep with sleep.

"Open the door."

Tezuka sat up, eyes wide. "Are you here?"

"Apparently, I sleep-walked here. Can you let me in?" Tezuka looked around and saw Ryoma about to move near the front door. She stopped when she saw him approaching the window. He opened it and hung up, pocketing the device, before lifting her effortlessly and carried her in.

Ryoma smiled up at him and wrapped her legs around his waist. Tezuka rolled his eyes with a huff and supported her with one arm while he closed the window.

"I had a dream I was walking here…I didn't know I actually was," she grinned up at him.

"It's too late to send you back home," Tezuka sighed. "Come on," he hoisted her up a bit higher.

"We are we going?"

"I'm going to bed, we have school tomorrow."

He carried her upstairs and he changed into his pajamas. Ryoma watched him change, blush covering her face.

"Kunimitsu," she hissed. "You can't do that!"

"It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"Still!" She choked. Tezuka actually laughed at her and climbed into bed on the other side, closer to the wall. She lay down and buried her face into his chest. "We should set an early alarm so we can go to my house to change."

Tezuka nodded, reaching for his alarm clock and setting an early alarm. The two went to sleep with Tezuka's strong arms wrapped around Ryoma.

Ryoma woke up to Tezuka's alarm blaring angrily. It was five in the morning and he had set an alarm for four. She looked at the clock before screaming.

"KUNIMITSU! WAKE UP! WE'RE LATE! SHIT!" Tezuka jumped and woke up, rubbing his eyes.

"What?"

"We have to go! Now! Practice is at six!" Ryoma put her slippers on. Tezuka looked at the clock before grabbing his glasses.

"I need to change," he said, reaching for his uniform. Ryoma growled.

"Change at my house! Let's go!" She shoved his uniform into his tennis bag and she slung it onto her back. Tezuka grabbed his backpack and his sneakers downstairs and put them on. They ran to the backyard and Tezuka got onto his bike. Ryoma put herself on the extensions on the back wheel and the two set off towards the Echizen house. Many of the people they passed looked on in bewilderment at the two kids. Ryoma, in her boy shorts and too big tee, and Tezuka, in only his basketball shorts, made quite a sight as they zoomed through the streets.

Rinko was panicking as the family looked for Ryoma.

"Where did she go?" She yelled anxiously.

Ryuu came up to her, "She's probably at the temple! I'll look there!" He ran outside and up to the temple, hoping his sister had sleepwalked her way up there.

"RYUU!" Rinko screamed. Ryuu ran back to the house and saw Tezuka and Ryoma in the hall.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "And where have you been, Ryoma?"

"Sleepwalking," she answered. "I was sleepwalking and I ended up at his house but it was already like two in the morning. We woke up late and biked here."

"You two didn't even change," Nanako snickered as she looked at the scantily clad Tezuka. The boy had the decency to blush and looked away.

"Is it alright if I changed here?"

"Of course honey. Nanako, show him to the bathroom please. You can also shower if you'd like, Nanako will show you where everything is." Tezuka nodded and stood up and followed her.

"Usu," Ryoma made her way upstairs. "I'm going to our bathroom." She ran up and grabbed her things to shower and change.

"Hurry up!" Rinko called after her. The matriarch shook her head. Nanako returned.

"Ryoma's boyfriend is very attractive, Auntie. Did you see those abs?" She whispered as they set to work on breakfast and lunch. They would be preparing more than normal with Tezuka there. They finished both meals by the time they all returned, clean and in uniform.

"Thank you for your hospitality, I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."

"Oh Kunimitsu, don't worry," Rinko grabbed his cheek gently and pinched it a little before kissing it. "Now eat. You three don't have much time."

The three students ate quickly and grabbed their lunches. Ryoma hopped onto Tezuka's bike and Ryuu hopped onto his. Tezuka kicked off and the two sped to school. They arrived as the last three.

"Eh, Ochibi-chan! Ochibi-kun!" Eiji ran over to them. "What're you two doing with buchou so early?"

Tezuka brushed passed him with his belongings. "Hurry up, we're late."

The three changed quickly and made their way onto the courts with Sumire smirking at them.

"Rinko called me while you three were getting ready to say that you were going to be late. I'm surprised you made this early actually."

The three blushed but nodded, beginning warm ups.

"So," Ryuu was explaining to the Regulars at lunch, "At some point last night, this chick here starts sleepwalking and she walked ALL the way to Tezuka's house. It's like three in the morning so Tezuka was like 'sleep here' and they set an alarm but _still_ woke up late!" Everyone laughed as Tezuka and Ryoma glared at the boys. "Meanwhile, at our house, we're going crazy looking for her. This wasn't the first time she's done it. So, I go to the temple to see if she went up there and I hear mom screaming. I go back into the house and I see Ryoma in her skimpy pajamas and Tezuka in just basketball shorts!" Everyone broke out into a chorus of stomach-gripping laughter. "And we all had to shower really quickly and change so we could get here on time."

"I would have loved to see Tezuka riding a bike like a madman!" Momo laughed. Kaidoh was laughing next to him and they fell against each other.

"His hair was wild too!" Ryuu exclaimed. "It was all pushed back like this!" He pushed his hair back. "Ryo should have had a mouthful of hair!" They began to roar again.

"I think we're missing the most important part of the story here!" Fuji called everyone to order. They looked at him curiously. "The most important part is that Tezuka and Echizen-chan slept together last night, wearing only shorts and a large tee!"

Catcalls and whistles began to erupt as everyone 'oohed' and 'awed'. Tezuka was bright red and Ryoma's face was buried into Tezuka's side.

"URUSAI!" Tezuka shouted. Everyone quieted immediately, jaws closing with a click. "Discuss something that is not us." The conversation turned to other topics, such as the upcoming matches, but everyone still snickered at the blushes that covered the couple's faces.

At the end of lunch, Ryoma stood up and looked everyone in the eye. "If I hear a single word of this morning from someone that's not here, in the circle at this exact moment, I _will_ castrate you and shove a branch up your ass." She hissed and the boys nodded nervously.

"Scary," Inui noted after she left for class.

Tezuka should not have been surprised when Ryoma started knocking on the window in the living room. He sighed, putting his glasses on and stumbling his way to the window. It was the first night of the long weekend so Tezuka, personally, had no qualms about her staying her. His parents were another story though.

"Up," he instructed and picked her up, swinging her inside. She laughed nervously.

"This habit is getting troublesome." She sat on the couch and held her arms out to Tezuka. "I'm going back to sleep." Tezuka rolled his eyes but sat on the couch as well, drawing her into him. He draped the throw blanket onto them and settled down.

Ayana woke up bright and early, frowning at the time that her son must have gone to bed. When she went to bed, it was already one in the morning. Kuniharu shifted next to her before falling out of the bed.

"I'm up!" He shouted after his head hit the nightstand. Ayana snorted and rolled her eyes, throwing her pillow at him. "You treat me so bad!" He groaned and stood up, rubbing his head.

"Idiots," they heard Kunikazu grumbling from outside. Ayana got up and opened the door.

"Did you see Kunimitsu yet?"

"I think he's in his room still. He went to bed really late, right?" The elder man asked as he fixed his pajama top. Ayana looked at her husband and father-in-law.

"You guys aren't helpful at all."

The men shrugged and the three traveled downstairs. Ayana went to the kitchen to get started on breakfast while the 'boys' went into the living room.

Kunikazu was the first one to notice them. The kids had shifted until Ryoma was lying on top of Tezuka, head pillowed upon his chest. A small puddle of drool formed on his pecks, running down to the neck. Kunikazu frowned in disgust before snickering.

Kuniharu sputtered next to him. "When the hell did she come over?" He grabbed a pillow and smacked his son in the face with it. Tezuka jumped up and knocked Ryoma over. She shook her head and raised herself up, glaring at the two men above her.

"What is wrong with you?" Tezuka growled, agitated and very much tired.

"Wake up!" Kunikazu said cheerfully for no good reason. "Morning Ryoma-chan!" Ryoma snatched the pillow from Kuniharu and smacked the grandfather in the face with it. She crawled back on top of Tezuka and curled into a ball. Tezuka lay back down and wrapped his arms around her, drawing the blanket over them again.

The men blinked before chuckling to themselves silently.


End file.
